After I decided to start a podcast where I share the songs I love, I uploaded my very first episode.
(You can read Episode 1: Songs for Loneliness While Living Abroad here.)
That night, I was too excited to sleep. I opened my music streaming apps and started scrolling through the songs I had liked over the years. Because I tend to jump between platforms, I’ve only marked songs I loved in recent years—but even then, the number was close to 1,600.
When I tried narrowing them down to songs that carried real memories or meaning, I ended up with sixty-six tracks. And that’s when I started overthinking.
Was it okay if some of these songs were already well-known?
Should I only choose hidden gems—songs no one else seemed to know?
Before I realized it, more than a month had passed. That’s when I finally understood why musicians often say the second album is harder than the first, just a little though.
Eventually, I realized I had been worrying about the wrong thing. I’m not a professional DJ, and I’m not a music connoisseur who knows every obscure track in the world. The songs featured on Unshared Yet may already be famous, or they may still be waiting to be discovered.
If you hear a song you already know, I hope you won’t feel disappointed. Instead, I hope you’ll listen to what the song means to me—and if you feel like it, tell me what it means to you. That would mean everything.
When a Familiar Song Still Carries You Forward
The first song in this episode is “Don’t You Worry Child” by Swedish House Mafia.
Many people would recognize this track. Sweden has produced an extraordinary number of EDM artists, and this is a song I return to whenever life feels heavy.
2026 has already begun, and many people feel uncertain about how the world is changing—or how they’re supposed to live in it. Maybe that’s why memes made out of memories from 2016 are suddenly everywhere again. It feels like some of us aren’t quite ready to accept that ten years have passed.
Back in 2016, when I was studying for my master’s degree in Gothenburg, I was entering my second semester and constantly questioning myself: Was this really the path I wanted to take?
It felt as if the good days were already behind me, and I was walking through thick fog with no clear direction.
Whenever I listened to this song, something shifted. It made me feel as though the path I couldn’t see might already exist—and that I was still moving toward it, step by step. Strength returned to my body.
That’s why this song has stayed with me. Whether I’m thirty or forty, life keeps presenting turning points. And every time it does, I know I’ll come back to this song again. Seeing Sweden’s countless lakes and its vast, quiet landscapes only deepened my connection to its lyrics.
Reclaiming Your Life Through a Voice
While writing this episode, I kept wondering which song should follow Swedish House Mafia. After a long hesitation, I chose “Feeling Good” by Nina Simone.
Although her most famous recording was released in 1965, the song continues to be reinterpreted by generations of artists. Nina Simone recorded it during a period of intense personal struggle. She endured an abusive marriage and later divorced—a decision that required immense courage.
While Feeling Good was not written by Simone herself, her performance transformed it into something deeply personal: a declaration of reclaiming one’s life.
We often know when an environment is harmful to us, yet hesitate to leave because the unknown feels terrifying. I can’t go into details, but I once worked in a truly toxic workplace. Day after day, I was belittled by both my manager and the CEO.
When I finally decided to leave—and to stand up for myself—I listened to this song endlessly.
Beginning Again, Gently
January is already halfway over. If you haven’t figured out what you want to achieve this year, please don’t rush yourself.
For Koreans, the emotional beginning of the year often arrives with the Lunar New Year. Despite historical attempts during the Japanese colonial period to redefine January 1st as the “true” New Year, the Lunar New Year has remained deeply rooted in Korean culture.
That’s why many people use the Lunar New Year holidays as a moment to reset, reflect, and begin again.
I hope the songs I shared today bring strength to someone reading or listening. It’s a difficult world we’re living in. Let’s try to be a little gentler—with others, and with ourselves.
Songs Featured in This Episode
- Swedish House Mafia — Don’t You Worry Child
Official Video: https://youtu.be/1y6smkh6c-0 - Nina Simone — Feeling Good
Offical Video: https://youtu.be/oHRNrgDIJfo
🎧 This essay is based on Episode 2 of the podcast Unshared Yet.
Listen here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5QGHIEvOF0XW0hLEZiNrRc?si=f8EFo9jySKut-RdSgjUPcw